Arsenal defender Mertesacker confident winning over his doubters

There are no doubts in Mertesacker's mind and he is determined to prove it against Sunday and by trying to help Arsenal achieve the target of finishing in the top four.

Mertesacker, who had his first formal English lesson yesterday despite speaking the language perfectly, told the Mirror: "Of course I want to be the dominant player. But I also want to help the squad, be part of the team and everyone has specific strengths.

"The league is very different to the Bundesliga. It's very quick, very intense and is very hard for me. It will be hard to be successful here but it's a big challenge for me and I want to help the team come through and it will be good for me, too.

"I've heard a lot about the derbies, especially Arsenal and Tottenham. I'm looking forward to it. I played at White Hart Lane for Bremen in the Champions League. It's good that I've played there but I think it will be different on Sunday."